The Cecil Whig., 1887-06-18
A FEW HINTS ON BAKING BREAD

We noticed in our last issue that Mrs.
Emma ?. Ewing, formerly of Elkton,
and who has been Professor of Domes-
tic Economy in the Iowa Agricultural
College, has resigned that position and
accepted similar one in Purdue Univer-
sity at Lafayette, Ind. Mrs. Ewing has
since leaving Elkton attained a promi-
nent place as a lecturess on Domestic
Economy and kindred subjects, and the
following article contributed by her to
the " IToMen'S ,Eanda,d', published
at Des Moines, we republish for the
benefit of our readers.
For successful bread making, good
oven is quite as impo. tant factor as
either good flour or good yeast, and
more bread is spoiled IN the process of
baking than in any other through which
it passes in Its preparation for the table.
The Idea entertained by great many
people however, that it is almost imp6s
sible to bake bread properly in any
other than brick oven, is absurd and
fallacious; and that a great deal of home
made bread is wretchedly baked is not
owing to defective ranges or cook
stoves, but to the carelessness or ignor-
ance of the persons baking it. If due
attention is given to it bread can be
baked as perfectly in the average range
or cook stove, as by any other method.
The changes that take place in the
dough while baking are mostly pro-
duced by steam or vapor within it, and
the heat of the oven should be sutti-
cient to raise the temperature inside a
loaf of bread to boiling heat, or about
2I70, and keep it there; and should
never be permitted during the process
of baking to fall below 25oo, as ther-
mometric tests show that the most
favorable temp erlture tor bread baking
is one ranging from 35o0 TO 55o0.
The heat of an oven should not be
greatest when bread is put to bake,
but should increase slightly in inten-
sity for about ten minutes after the
bread goes in, and after remaining at
firm steady heat for an equal length
of time should gradually decrease
until the baking is finished. Few
people have thermometers by which
they can test the temperature of their
ovens, but with the exercise of a little
common sense any one of ordinary in
telIigence can guess near enough the
heat of an oven, by considering 1t
"about right for baking" when on
opening the door volume of hot air
rushes out suddenly, OF when, If few
drops of water are sprinkled on the
bottom OF the oven they will hop about
and hiss spitefully, or when a little
-four scattered on the oven bottom will
brown nicely without burning in three
minutes. If the heat should be greater
at one side or end of the oven than at
the other, the bread pans should be
changed about occasionally and if 1t
should be greater at the top than at the
bottom, and the loaves brown too rap
idly on top, they should be covered
with cold baking sheet, and when
nearly done can be turned over in the
pans, and the bottom or sides evenly
Drowned. Most ranges or stoves will
however, if kept clean, bake very
evenly and beautifully, when the fire is
properly regulated
The time required for baking an Or
dinary sized loaf of bread is from IS to
90 minutes ;and the difference in the
flavor and quality of bread that is slack
baked, or baked in a slow oven, and
that which is baked thoroughly, at
proper temperature, is greater than is
in any other article of diet.
In baking cake the heat of the oven
should be very moderate for a few
minutes after the cake is put in, so
that the batter may get warmed all
through before it commences to bake
on the outside. 1t should then be
steadily, but gently increased, until
the cake is perfectly risen, after which
it should remain steady for short time,
then gradually decrease until the bak-
ing is finished. The greatest heat
should be at the bottom, in baking
cake and all manner of things that are